The Pulpit Commentary — Matthew — Volume 1 — Section 163

necessarily seen rather than )fits benefiting diseiplcs have entered through the revela- others (,po,-rl(.,, Luke xi. 36; cf. John i. 9). tion of God in Ohrist; cf. further Bishop To all. For in a room none can help noticing Westcott, on John iv. 21 (Add. Note) e.nd on it, even though the lamp and the light 1 John i. 2 (Add. Note); also Weiss, 'Life,' itself be but small. The negative of this ii. 348. The phrase, which oconrs here for verse is given in Pseudo-Cyprian, • De Alee.t.,' the first time in St. Me.tthew (but cf. ver. iii., "Monet dominus et dicit: nolite oontris- 9, note), henceforth occurs frequently, be- tare Spiritum Sanctum, qui in vobis est, et coming of great importance for this Gospel noli.te erut{11guere lumen, quod in "obui ejfvl,- (cf. vers. 45, 48; oh. vi. I, 9, etc.). Bit" (mde Resch, • Agre.pha,' pp. 111, 215). Ver.16.-Matthew only. Let your light so Ver. 17-cb. vi. 18.-Having spoken of Bhi.ne ; even so let your light ahine (Revised the ideal oho.meter of his disciples (vers. 3- Version) ; oll-ra,s >..a.µ.1/11£.-., .-1, ,piiis {)µ.ii,11. The 10), and of their need of allowing the.t cha- Reviaed Version (of.Rheims) does away with the misinterprete.tion suggested by the Au- racter to appear (vers. 11-16), our Lord turns thorized Version, " so that ; " for o~"'s refers to speak of the position that they should hold solely to the method of shining spoken of in towards the religion of the day (ver, 17-ch. ver.15, "like a burning le.mp upon its stand" vi. 18), of which the Law was the a(lcepted (Meyer). Onr Lord ha.s here no thought of standard. effort in shining, such e.s may improve the Vers. 17-20.-(1) With this aim he first brightness of the light given, or of illumi- ne.ting others, but of not concealing what states summarily and in nucleus the position light the disciples have. (For a similar the.t he himself holds towe.rds the Law-a olhcos, cf. 1 Cor. ix. 24.) Yet remember, "A statement which was the more necessary lamp for one is a lamp for a hundred" e.s he had e.lready (ver. 11) claimed t9 be (Ta.Im. Bab., 'Sabb.,' 122a) and "Ade.m the object of bis disciples' devotion. was the lamp of the world" (Te.Im. Jer., 'Sabb.,' ii. 4-a play on Prov. XL 27). Your Ver. 17.-Me.tthewonly. Think not. Pro- light. Ei,ther genitive of apposition, the light bably the tendency of his teaching we.seven which yon are (Achelis), cf. ver. H; or alree.dy seen to be so different from tho.t of the genitive of possession, the light of which recognized authorities, thatsome had in conse- yon are the trusted possessors (Meyer, Weiss). quence formed this opinion (110µ.((.,) of him The latter is preferable, as the disciples ha.ve, which he now repudiates, and which was near in ver. 15, been compared to the lamp, i.e. ekin to the be.sis of the charge formule.ted the light-bearer. Before men (rµ.-,rporrB,11 afterwarde age.inst St. Stephen (Acts vi. 14). .,-;;,,, a116prfnr.,,,). More the.n i11rfnr1011, "in In both co.see the tendency of the new teaching presence of,'' for the position of the lamp (Mark i. 27) to e.bolish temporary forms WB.8 "'in front of" the people is what our perceived by at least those whose powers of Lord is here emphasizing (cf. John xii. 37). perception were quickened through their That they may see your good works ( ~,,_;;,,, opposition. The.t I am oome; Revised Ver- .,-a «a.>..a lp-ya.). Your. Three times in this sion, that 1 came (~.-, .Jj>..8011). Our Lord, verse. Our Lord Jays Btress on personal both here and in the next clause, le.ye stress poBeession of light., personal action, personal on his coming as an historic fact. The pri- relationship and origin. Good works ; i.e. mary reference is probably to his coming of your Jfres generally (Weiss-Meyer), not forth from prive.te life (cf. John i. 31). Yet ministerially (Meyer). "Nobl,e works, works in his own mind there me.y have been a which by their generous and attractive further allusion to his coming from above character win the ne.tural e.dmiration of (cf. John viii. 14; and further, eh. x. 34). To men" (Bi.shop Westcott, on Heh. x. 24). destroy. The connexion between «a.-ra.>..vrra., And glorify. This is actually done in eh. here and >..6rrp ver. 19 ('tl'ide note) ie lost in ix. 8; xv. 31. St. Peter's language (I Pet. the English. The Law or the Prophets. The ii. 12) is probably due to e. reminiscence phrase," the le.wand the prophets,'' is some- of our Lord's words. Your Father which times 11Sed as practically equive.lent to the is in heaven. The FathC'rhood of God is whole of the Old Testament (eh. vii. 12; here predicated in a specie.I sense of the John i. 45; Rom. iii. 21 ; cf. eh. xi. 13; disciples, in the ea.me way as the Fatherhood xxii. 40 ; Acts xxiv. H), e.nd our Lord means of God is, in the Old Testament, always con- probably much the same here, the "or" dis- nected with his covenant relation to his tributing the «a-ra.>..vrra.1 (of. Alford), and people as a nation (cf. Isa.. Ix.iii. 16; lxiv. 8; being used heco.use of the negative. Such D J er. iii 4; Deut. xxrii. 6). Our Lord here is distribution, however, though it could not not thinking of" the original relation of God have been expressed in an e.ffirmative sen- to being e.nd especially to humanity, in virtue tence, has for its be.ckground the conscious- of man's creation in the Divine image" ness of a difference in the nature of these (6 nrfip'), but of the reletion int.o which the two chief components of the Old '.1.'esta.ment. on, v.1-48.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW. 155